(SACRAMENTO, CA.) — Sacramento City Manager Maraskeshia Smith moved to put a human face on the city’s budget crisis Tuesday, reminding the Council and the public that behind every spreadsheet are “dedicated public servants” and their families. As the city works to bridge a massive funding gap, leadership emphasized that their top priority was “minimizing harm to public and staff.”
“At stake are people. Dedicated public servants with families, responsibilities, and lives just like those of us who sit here. That reality remained at the center of this process from the beginning,” Smith said, during the city council meeting. “Significant effort has been made to reduce the impact on staff, where possible. We looked at reductions, operational changes, and other strategies to reserve essential services and minimize harm to our workforce.”
The balancing plan initially released in March called for the elimination of 99 vacancies and 103 filled positions. However, after hearing from the community and Council, the latest proposal includes several “restorations” to programs like the Magnet Academy, park maintenance, and senior operating hours.
“We listened closely to the concerns, priorities, and values expressed throughout these conversations. This proposed budget reflects adjustments made in response to that feedback,” Smith added.
After hearing from the public and Council, the administration restored funding to several key programs. As Finance Director Pete Coletto explained: “The Magnet Academy is fully restored, and there’s a partial restoration of fire vacancies to maintain service levels over time. The affordable housing fee program is fully funded. We restored staffing in the Auditor’s Office, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, HR, and IT. There’s also a partial restoration of park maintenance outsourcing and restored access and senior operating hours.”
Council members expressed concern about the impact of cuts on youth programs, pools, and violence prevention.
Councilmember Mai Vang noted: "Public safety is one of our top three priorities, along with critical services and programming. We all want to create better neighborhoods and families in our city, and youth and parks are a core part of those programs.”
“Looking at the proposed budget, we’re considering cutting 35.9 positions—30 of which are from YPCE (Youth, Parks, & Community Enrichment). YPCE is facing the highest number of cuts, even though its budget is smaller than all other departments” Vang said, adding “At the end of the day, when we balance the budget, it’s often on the backs of youth, families, our neighborhoods and our parks—every single time. I know we have tough decisions to make to balance the budget, but that’s the reality. Thirty-five positions are in the queue to be cut, and 30 of those are in parks. That is what we are cutting if we pass this proposal.”
Public speakers, including youth and nonprofit leaders, urged the Council to preserve funding for programs like Impact Sac and Brother to Brother, which provide mentorship and violence prevention for at-risk youth.
City Manager Smith closed the discussion by acknowledging the difficult choices ahead: “We have to take care of our house first, and right now we’re continuing to look at a structurally imbalanced budget. At some point, we have to fix it. If that is how you feel, think about how the five thousand employees feel coming up here every year wondering whether or not they’re going to have a job.”
The Council will continue deliberations, with members submitting proposals for further adjustments before the budget is adopted in June.
Story image of City Manager Maraskeshia Smith provided by Metro Cable 14 YouTube video. Submit Sacramento County tips and story ideas to Sarah Denos at sarahkdenos@gmail.com.
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